LON 
flie fire in 16S6, it was not again rebuilt. It is a reftory, 
and was numbered among the molt ancient foundations 
in the city ; for, in the year 1105, it was given by Ro¬ 
bert Fitzwalter to the priory of St. Faith, at Houlham, 
or Horlham, in the county of Norfolk ; which gift being 
confirmed to them by a bull of pope Alexander III. in 
the year 1163, it was pofiefled by the prior and canons, 
til! the fupprefiion of their convent by Edward III. as an 
alien-priory, when this church fell to the crown, in which 
the patronage has continued to this day. One part of the 
fite of this church was fold to the city, by virtue of an 
aft of parliament, for the purpofe of widening the ftreet 
between Friday-ftreet and Bread-ftreet; and the money 
arifing from the fale was applied towards paving and beau¬ 
tifying the church of St. Mildred ; the other part was re- 
ferved for a burial-place for the parifh of St. Margaret. 
On the north fide of Diftaff-lane is Cordwainers’ Hall; 
a handfome convenient building, confiding of feveral 
rooms, the principal of which contains portraits of king 
William and queen Mary. A new done front has been 
lately added to this building ; over the centre-window' of 
which is a medallion, reprefenting a country girl fpinning 
with a diliaff, in allufion to the name of the lane ; and at 
the top is a carving of the company’s arms.—It is a fub- 
jeft of regret to all admirers of fimplicity united with 
elegance, to find this neat building buried in fo narrow a 
lane ; for indeed it is painful to direft the fight fo as to 
difcover what the medallion reprefents ; and, by looking 
to fuch a perpendicular height, the head becomes giddy, 
and the fpeftator begins to imagine that the carved fpin- 
dle he painfully looks up to is really whirling and twirl¬ 
ing about. 
"The next objeft worthy of our attention is Gerard’s 
Hall, in Bafing-lane. Here ltood anciently the manfion 
of fir John Gifors, mayor of London, and confiable of 
the Tower in 1311. In the turbulent'time of Edward II. 
he was charged with feveral harfh and unjuft proceedings ; 
and, being lummoned to appear before the king's juftices 
to drifwer to the accufation, he and other principal citi¬ 
zens fled, and put themielves under the proteftion of 
the rebellious barons. His houfe was built upon arched 
vaults, and had arched gates made of Itone brought 
from Caen. In the lofty roofed hall, fays Stow, Hood 
a large fir-pole, 39J feet high and fifteen inches in cir¬ 
cumference, with a ladder to afcend to the top of it. 
It was feigned to have been the ftaff of Gerardus, a 
mighty giant; but proved to be no more than a may- 
pole, which, according to ancient cultoin, ufed to be 
decked and placed annually before the door. From this 
fable the houfe long bore the name of Gerard’s Hall; but 
it was properly changed to that of Gifors. It remained 
in the family till the year 13S6, when it was alienated by 
Thomas Gifors. The houfe was divided into feveral parts; 
and in the time of Stow was a common hofterie, or inn. 
At prefent nothing remains but the vault, fupported by 
pillars, which ferves as cellars to the houfes built on the 
fite of the ojd manfion. The premifes are ftill occupied 
by waggoners and ftage-coaches, with a fort of tavern, or 
chop-houfe, annexed to it. At ths gate, which feems old. 
Hill remains fixed in the door-poft a gigantic figureof a 
man, wrapped in a mantle, with a ftaff in his hand ; un¬ 
doubtedly alluding to the ftory mentioned above. It has 
a fingular appearance, and feems to date of a period dole 
following that of the great conflagration. 
Bafing-lane, being contiguous to the Old Bread-market 
place, was in the time of Richard II. called Bake-houfe 
and Baking-houfe-lane, or Baking-lane, on account of 
the number of ovens healed ihere to Supply the ftalls in 
the market; from which arofe the corruption into Bafing- 
lane. 
Following Watling-ftreet eaftward, we may take in 
Bow-lane, and vifit St. M.fly Aldermary, This church, 
which is a veftory, owes its name to its dedication to the 
Virgin Mary ; and the additional epithet of Aldermary, to 
®idcr, or Elder, Mary, from being the oldeft church in this 
DON. . 4 S3 
city dedicated to the holy virgin, It is one of the pecu¬ 
liars belonging to the archbilhop of Canterbury, and was 
founded before the conqueft, under the Saxon kings. In 
the year 1510, fir Henry Keble, lord-mayor of London, 
bequeathed a thoufand pounds towards rebuilding this 
church; in 1626, William Rodoway gave, towards the 
building of the Ifeeple, then greatly decayed, the fum 
of three thoufand pounds ; and Richard Pierfon, about 
the fame year, gave two hundred marks towards the fame 
work; with condition that this fteeple, thus to be built, 
ftiould follow its ancient pattern, and go forward, and 
be finiflied, according to the foundation of it laid before 
by fir Henry Keble; which, within three years after, was 
fo finilhed, that, notwithftanding the body of the church 
was burnt in the fire of 1666, the fteeple remained firm 
and good. That part of it which was confumed was af¬ 
terwards rebuilt in its prefent form by the munificence of 
Henry Rogers, efq. as appears by a Latin infcription over 
the weft door of the church. This Gothic edifice is very 
fpacious, it being a hundred feet in length and iixty-three 
in breadth; the height of the roof is forty five feet, and 
that of the fteeple a hundred and thirty-five. The body 
is lighted by a fingle feries of large Gothic windows. 
The wall has well-contrived buttrefies and battlements; 
thefe buttrefies run up pilafter-falhion, in two ftages, not 
projefting in the old manner from the body of the build¬ 
ing. The tower, which is full of ornament, confifts of 
five ftages, each of which, except the loweft, has one win¬ 
dow ; and the pinnacles, which are properly fo many tur¬ 
rets, are continued at each corner down to the ground, 
divided into ftages like the body of the tower, and cabled 
with fmall pillars bound round it, with a kind of arched 
work, and fubdivifions between. After the fire of London, 
the parilh of St. Thomas the Apoftle was annexed to this 
church ; which being in the dean and chapter of St. Paul’s, 
the archbilhop of Canterbury and the dean, of St. Paul’s 
prelent alternately to the united livings. 
Coming down Bow-lane, we re-enter our former walk. 
In Great Trinity-lane, io called front Trinity-church, 
which ftood in Knightrider-ltreet, and which was fo very 
old in 1572, that contributions were alked from the inha¬ 
bitants to repair it. Having been deftroyed in the general 
conflagration, it was not rebuilt; and, the parilh being 
annexed to that of St. Michael Queenhithe, feme German 
merchants purchafed the fite of it, in order to ereft a 
church for the celebration of divine fervice according to 
the Lutheran confeffioa ; fince which time, this has been 
their place of public worlhip. 
Not far in Little Trinity-lane is Painter-ftainers’ Hall. 
Thefe artilts formed themielves into a fraternity as early 
as the reign of Edward III. and alio erefted themfelves 
into a company ; but were not incorporated. They ftyled 
themielves Painter-Jiainers, becaule their chief work was 
ftaining or painting glafs, illuminating miffals, painting 
portative or other altars, and now and then a portrait ; 
witnefs that of Richarcrll. and thofe of the great John 
Talbot and his wife, prelerved at Caftle Alhbv. In the 
year'1575, they found that plafterers, and all forts of tin- 
Ikilful perfons, intermeddled in their bufinefs, and brought 
their art into difrepute by-the budnefs and flightnefs of 
their work. They determined (like the furgeons in later 
days) to keep their tnyftery pure from all pretenders. 
They were incorporated in 1576 ; had their mailer, warden, 
and common feal: George Gower was queen Elizabeth’s 
ferjeant painter; but, as we do not find his name in Mr. 
Walpole’s Anecdotes, we fulpeft his art was confined to 
the humbler part. This corporation extended only to 
fuch artilts as praftiled within the city. As art is unccn- 
fined, numbers arofe in different parts, and fettled in 
Weftminfter, the feat of the court. They for a long time 
remained totally unconnefted even with each other. 
About the year 1576, they lolicited and received the royal 
patronage, and were incorporated under the title of Matter, 
Wardens, and Commonalty, of Painter-ftainers. The ma¬ 
jority are independent of any other body corporate : but 
3 feveral 
